The first British team to compete at the World Para Reining Championships have won silver.

Lee Pearson, Ricky Balshaw and Fiona Durston made up the medal-winning team at the competition in Ermelo, Holland, on Thursday (6 July).

Dressage may be the discipline these three riders are best known for, but the trio had proved their reining prowess by qualifying on their first attempt at the Garden of England Spring Show (26-30 May).

“Showing a wonderful, well-behaved horse in a different discipline with a very enthusiastic audience is credit to the temperament and training of these horses,” said multiple Paralympic medallist Lee.

“I think this is a very exciting time for another para equestrian discipline.”

For Ricky, who rode stallion Yelena My Way, this marks a return to equestrian sport after retiring from dressage and stepping down from the British squad a year ago.

“It felt really good to be back in the saddle and with a flag on my chest,” he said.

Fiona added that both she and her horse, Tino, “really enjoyed it”.

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The gold medal went to an experienced Canadian team, with Belgium and Germany tied for bronze.

All three riders have qualified for the individual finals, which take place today (Saturday, 8 July).

“I am really delighted,” said chef d’equipe Francesca Sternberg.

“These riders have crossed over from the dressage arena to compete in a new sport and in a very short period of time achieved an incredible amount.

“The medal is the icing on the cake and well deserved. They have all been an inspiration in the dressage world and now they have become the same in the reining arena.

“I am very proud of them and looking forward the individual finals.”

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Para dressage medallist Ricky Balshaw is coming out of retirement to compete in a World Championship reining qualifier with fellow GBR star Sir Lee Pearson.

Current squad member Lee has won a staggering 11 gold Paralympic dressage medals and this will be his first foray into the world of reining.

Ricky retired from dressage and stepped down from the British squad in May 2016, but will be making a return to the saddle for the first time since on Friday (26 May).

The pair will be competing at the para reining World Championship qualifier at the International Garden of England Spring Show (26-30 May) at Bodiam International Arena in East Sussex.

Ricky told H&H he is looking forward to the weekend.

“I don’t really remember whose idea it was or where it came from — whether it was from the reiners or Lee,” he laughed.

“One minute I’m retired and the next I’m thinking about going to the World Championships!”

The 30-year-old hung up his competition boots almost exactly a year ago saying he was “was getting to the stage where I want different things from life”.

Ricky started competing on the senior British para team at the age of 14.

During his competitive career he won medals at Paralympic, European and World Championship level.

A grade Ib rider, Ricky won freestyle silver at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics with Deacons Georgi.

“There are things I haven’t missed, but obviously there are huge things I have,” he added.

“I miss the people, the horses and the competition side of things.

“Being competitive is something I have missed, so it will be good to do it one more time.”

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This is the first para reining event to be held in the UK.

“I am so excited to welcome Lee and Ricky into the sport of reining,” said organiser Francesca Sternberg.

“I am sure that with such an iconic pair setting the ball rolling for para reining in the UK many more will want to follow.”

The para reining World Championships will be held in Ermelo, the Netherlands, on 4-9 July 2017.

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Paralympic medal-winning dressage rider Ricky Balshaw has announced he is retiring from the sport and stepping down from the British squad.

“For the last eight months my heart hasn’t been in the sport as it once was,” Ricky told H&H after posting an official statement about his retirement on his Facebook profile on 25 May.

The 29-year-old said he “was getting to the stage where I want different things from life”.

Earlier this week (Tuesday, 31 May) he started his new job as a sales executive for Furrows Ford in Shrewsbury.

“I’m still dealing in horse power,” joked Ricky, who was jubilant after securing his first sale on the second day of his new job.

Ricky has been competing since the age of 14 on the senior British para team, so knew his CV wasn’t going to be ideal for securing a new career.

“I’ve always had an interest in cars, so looked online, found a job, rang them and found the guy on the end of the phone had sold me my first car,” he said.

Fate also played a part in securing Ricky’s place on the British para team.

In 2000 aged 13 he collected a raffle prize from Jane Goldsmith, who was the para team coach and she invited him to the trials. There he secured his team place becoming the youngest ever rider on the senior team.

Riding in the grade Ib classification, Ricky represented Britain in Beijing in 2008, winning the silver medal with Deacons Georgi. He has represented Britain at the European Championships, World Equestrian Games and Paralympics, winning medals at all three events.

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The highlight of his dressage career was winning silver with Deacons Georgi in 2008 and meeting Anna Brown, his personal coach who is now his girlfriend.

The low hit two weeks after Beijing when Ricky fell from a young horse he was riding and was dragged.

“The moment I opening my eyes I could feel electricity coursing through my torso and knew I had done some damage,” he said.

Ricky has suffered a good many injuries during his riding career, breaking ribs, his back, knee and cracking his skull.

“From the high of Beijing to the being face down in dirt made me realise how horses ground you. They are good levellers,” he added.

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Lee Pearson, the multi-gold medallist and elder statesman of the British para dressage squad, was the first Brit to face the challenging wet conditions in the para dressage competition at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Caen, Normandy.

Lee returns to the team after a couple of years off, but he is back with a vengeance and went straight into the lead in the Grade Ib competition. He is riding the 10-year-old Flemmingh gelding Zion, owned by Lee with his parents Lynda and Dave Pearson, and Gillian Chin.

The test was a little tense at times as Zion (known as “Kevin” at home because he’s so laid back) “doesn’t like plastic” and the constant rain meant plenty of stewards, officials and volunteers were wearing plastic capes.

While there was some tension on show, Zion held it together in the walk and also produced some lovely trot work.

“There was far too much atmosphere,” joked Lee afterward., “what with the rain and the music and quad bikes, and a lot of plastic around! He has been quite settled, but he is only 10 years old and it’s his first major championship.”

Ricky Balshaw also produced a strong test, looking very polished apart from a mistake when LJT Enggaards Solitaire jogged for a few strides between the walk and trot movements. Otherwise his test looked very impressive and scored a more than respectable 71% to finish in eighth place.

In the Grade lll test, where Britain doesn’t have a rider competing, the talented German rider Hannelore Brenner came out on top on her Hannoverian mare Woman of the World scoring 72.47%. Dutch rider Sanne Voets took second place very close behind with Vedet PB NOP.

With another two days of team competition to come it’s too early to call, but Team GBR look to be in a strong position.

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Sophie Wells demonstrated why Britain remain the ones to beat in the JYSK FEI European Para-Dressage Championships today in Herning, Denmark, when taking the grade IV gold medal on Valerius.

She scored 75.643% to finish nearly 4% ahead of her nearest rival, The Netherlands’ Frank Hosmar, while the host nation’s Line Kongensgaard finished 3rd.

Sophie said: “I’m so happy with that performance — he was so on form, was really with me and listened all the way. When I asked for more, it was there. I’m so pleased.”

Earlier in the day Ricky Balshaw took silver in the grade Ib class with the Lady Joseph Trust’s LJT Enggaards Solitaire on his European Championship debut.

Riding ‘Sid’, a horse he’s had since the start of December, Ricky scored 73.586%, just behind the Paralympic Freestyle Grade Ib champion, Pepo Puch from Austria. Denmark’s Stinna Kaastrup took the bronze.

Ricky said: “He couldn’t have done any more today. It’s the first major championships I’ve competed at since I broke my back in 2011 and I’m absolutely buzzing. I want to get straight back on and do my freestyle now!“

The individual championship tests for grades Ia, II and III will take place tomorrow, when the team medals will also be decided. All eyes will be on British riders Sophie Christiansen and Anne Dunham, who compete at 13.03 and 14.29 respectively in the Grade Ia class. Natasha Baker, GB’s final team rider, enters the arena at 15.47.

Full report on all the action from the European para dressage championships in next Thursday’s Horse & Hound magazine (29 August, 2012)

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Three of last summer’s Paralympic gold medallists are on the British para dressage team for the European Championships this week (21-25 August).

Sophie Christiansen (grade Ia) with Janeiro 6, Natasha Baker (grade II) with Cabral and Sophie Wells (grade IV) with Valerius join Anne Dunham (grade Ia) LJT Lucas Normark on the team at the event in Herning, Denmark.

Ricky Balshaw (grade Ib) and LJT Engaards Solitaire will ride as an individual.

“We’ve had a very good start to the competition. I’m very grateful to all involved in getting the team out here; the logistics went like clockwork,” said team manager David Hunter.

“The venue in Herning is great, with excellent facilities and it promises to be an exciting competition. We are all looking forward to competing over the coming week, alongside the dressage and showjumping riders.”

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Three Paralympic gold medal winners will be in the strong British team lining up at this summer’s para equestrian dressage European championships.

Sophie Christiansen (grade Ia, Janeiro 6), Anne Dunham (grade Ia, LJT Lucas Normark), Ricky Balshaw (grade Ib, LJT Engaards Solitaire) Natasha Baker (grade II, Cabral, pictured) and Sophie Wells (grade IV, Valerius) will all be competing. A notable absentee is long-standing rider Lee Pearson.

“The riders selected for this year’s European Championships are once again a very strong combination, covering experience and newcomers,” said David Hunter, world class performance director for paradressage.

The Europeans will be held in Denmark next month (21-25 August).

For more see this week’s issue of H&H out on Thursday (11 July).

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Grade 1B paradressage rider Ricky Balshaw was born in November 1986 in Shropshire with cerebral palsy and began riding aged four to help with his exercise therapy.

This led to a keen interest in riding and Ricky later went on to join the national squad, aged just 14.

It is well known amongst his fellow competitors that Ricky refuses to wear the colour green as he believes it is unlucky. His superstition was later confirmed when he was bucked off whilst carrying a green whip.

Ricky has had some great successes, such as being selected as first reserve for Athens in 2004. He went on to win bronze at the 2007 paradressage World Championships and then progressed even further to win silver at Beijing in 2008.

Ricky continued this success winning silver for paradressage at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. However his career was put on hold following a fall whilst training in July 2011, resulting in a broken back.

Fellow competitor Lee Pearson also suffered a broken back at a similar time.

Ricky has recovered from his injury well, and with the help of trainers Lisa Garland and Michael Assouline is hoping to be selected for London 2012 with horse SunnyBoy, aspiring to his uncle Richie Woodhall, an Olympic boxer.

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Read all the latest Paralympic news

Para-equestrian dressage rider Ricky Balshaw is recovering in hospital after a fall left him with compression fractures on two separate vertebrae.

The 24-year-old grade 1B rider, who has cerebral palsy, was individual silver medallist at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

He was schooling at home on Friday (22 July) when the accident happened.

Speaking from his hospital bed at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, he said: “I was just cooling off my new boy, Lenherr Rocco, at the end of a schooling session when something spooked him.

“I was only on the buckle end so couldn’t pull him up, I was a passenger really and slipped out the side door.

“The doctors hope to put me in a back splint on in the next couple of days and I’m hoping to be back in the saddle in about 10 weeks time.”

This is not Ricky’s first enforced break from competition. A bad fall in 2009 resulting in several broken ribs forced him onto the injuries bench.

This time he joins fellow para rider Lee Pearson, who crushed three vertebrae, also in a fall during training last month.

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The seven British para dressage horses all trotted up last night ahead of today’s competition.

But unfortunately Ricky Balshaw’s ride, Academy Award, has been held for re-inspection in the morning.

The remaining six all passed without trouble.

Chef d’equipe David Hunter has announced his team as:

Lee Pearson (Grade Ib) with Gentleman

Jo Pitt (Grade II) with Estralita

Sophie Christiansen (Grade Ia) with Rivaldo of Berkeley

Anne Dunham (Grade Ia) with Teddy

Competition gets underway tomorrow starting with Grade IV with Grade Ib ending the day as the first part of the team competition.

For full start times, log on to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games website.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now